DIAMOND GROWTH ON THIN TI WAFERS VIA CHEMICAL-VAPOR-DEPOSITION

Diamond film was synthesized on thin Ti wafers (as thin as 40 mu m) via hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD). The hydrogen embrittlement of the titanium substrate and the formation of a thick TiC interlayer were suppressed. A very low pressure (133 Pa) was employed to achieve high-density rapid nucleation and thus to suppress the formation of TiC. Oxygen was added to source gases to lower the growth temperature and therefore to slow down the hydrogenation of the thin Ti substrate. The role of the very low pressure during nucleation is discussed, providing insight into the nucleation mechanism of diamond on a titanium substrate. The as-grown diamond films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, and x-ray analysis.